Monday, December 10, 2007

I like...

I was just making myself a cup of Chai and thinking about how I like the flavour and smell of vanilla, but others prefer chocolate. We all have different likes and tastes and no one could tell you specifically where they come from. Why do I (the lover of all vegetables) dislike the taste of brussel sprouts and Dean (the detester of most things green) love them? My friends have spent years trying to get me to like sushi, but I just can't do it (deal with it!) There is something creative and unique about our individual tastes. And that's a good thing. If everyone liked the same foods, that would not only be boring, it would mess with our ecosystem, I am sure. I grew up on a farm and know it is important to rotate the crops one grows in order to maintain the stability of the nutrients in the soil, so just producing all corn or all potatoes would eventually impoverish the land. If every man liked the same kind of woman, it would be disastrous for companionship and procreation because a whole viable and valuable segment of the human race would be discounted (and lonely).

When one looks at some of the marketing and media out there, it is easy to see how this diversity is being undermined in some ways. There are certain products and ideals presented as something every one should strive for, and while I understand the desire for greater market share, this premise goes against nature in a subtle way. Not every woman is tall and slim and should not be. Not every one loves coffee and chocolate and should not. Not every one wants to own a Porsche and I am thankful they don't. And yet, if we do not participate in the idealisation of certain things, we are made to feel odd in some way: like loving a chubby woman with a prominent nose makes one less of a man. Or not having an appreciation for fine wine and cigars makes you less sophisticated in some way. Not every one loves the same things and that is one of the ways this world is kept in such a wonderful balance.

One of the greatest gifts of living in a multicultural environment such as Montreal is that I get to experience those who are different than I am, and that is one of the greatest inspirations to be myself. I will not let myself be reduced to a common denominator, but let the whole expanse of humanity be exhibited in the way I live my life and in turn, encourage that in those around me. Because if I don't, someone will get left out and that is never the way God intended things to be.

I like the green grass on my yard, even though it is covered by snow right now.